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Alumni fare well in elections

November 7, 2012

Harvard Law School graduates across the country won political victories in the 2012 elections. In addition to a victory by President Barack Obama ’91 in a close race with Republican candidate Mitt Romney J.D./M.B.A ‘75, a Harvard Law School Professor and two HLS alumni won seats in the Senate, and 15 alumni are going to the House.

Harvard Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) made history as the first woman elected to serve as a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, defeating incumbent Scott Brown. In other Senate races, Ted Cruz ’95 (R-TX), a Cuban-American, becomes the first Hispanic to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate. In Virginia, Tim Kaine ’83 (D-VA), former governor of Virginia, won the open seat for Senate.

Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow said: “My heartfelt congratulations to the dozens of Harvard Law School alumni who waged political campaigns this year – some successful, and some who fell short of victory. Not all of them may have been elected to serve, but all of them elected to serve – a courageous decision on which our democracy depends for talent, energy and the ideas that move us forward as a society. A special congratulations to Ted Cruz ’95 and Tim Kaine ’83, who along with Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren, will be headed to the U.S. Senate.”

Among the challengers in the U.S. House race, several HLS alumni secured seats: Joaquin Castro ’00 (D-TX) District 20, Tom Cotton ’02 (R-AR) District 4, Ron DeSantis ’05 (R-FL) District 6, Alan Grayson ’83 (D-FL) District 9, who was unseated in 2010, and Joseph Kennedy III ’09 (D-MA) District 4.

Along with those listed above, five HLS alumni serving in the U.S. Senate who were not up for re-election this year include: Michael D. Crapo ’77 (R-ID), Carl Levin ’59 (D-MN), Jack Reed ’82 (D-RI), Charles E. Schumer ’74 (D-NY), and Mark Warner ’80 (D-VA).